Recently, I took a moment to watch two relatively short TEDx videos. Derek’s was about the importance of keeping our goals close to the vest and not dissipating the momentum or energy of the goal by over-sharing it with others. The second video (below) spoke about that all consuming word – Passion. Larry suggests that we make excuses about pursuing our passion or we settle for less and that unless we act, we won’t accomplish much. It would be interesting to hear how you have applied both in your life. Hence the question: What have you discovered about goals and passion? (abbreviated in my post title). I was raised in a culture where we kept our dearest and deepest goals a secret until the work was done and the goal accomplished. The belief was that when we share too much, we attract negative, envious energy that can derail our plans. Or as Derek points out, by sharing our goals, we trick the brain into believing the goal is accomplished and it’s time to move on to other goals.

While I can’t 100% prove the veracity of that belief, what I’ve discovered over the years is that when I’ve put my mind to a thing and worked quietly on it, it bore fruit. When I’ve shouted a plan all over town, sometimes it didn’t. Anecdotal? Sure, but I suspect there might be some truth to the premise. Of course, a distinction is made between standard goals and treasured goals and it’s up to us to figure out which carries the most weight. For instance, for some, going to college is a standard goal but running a radio station might represent their deeper goal. Before I go further, I’d say that we are all born with innate talents and gifts. Motivation, focus, hard work, serendipity and other factors help shape our progress. What do you think? More below!

“If you want to accomplish the goals of your life, you have to begin with the spirit.” Oprah Winfrey

We’ve all heard the seemingly simple line “find/follow your passion.” Perhaps it is such a powerful mantra because few are born with a clear passion for something. Most of us trudge through life trying to figure out what we are/can get passionate about or developing skills and building talents we hope/plan to get passionate about. Some of us might find a purpose in life; accidentally or through effort, and others of us will spend many years pondering when our passion boat will arrive or simply accepting that we aren’t passionate enough about anything to give it our energy 24/7… I’d like to say that is okay as long as we follow our heart and are at peace with our decision to just be. What I’ve always found fascinating is hearing stories about successful people who discovered a talent or passion by accident. How could that be? Perhaps, the innate talent was dormant and it took an event or some inner prompting to make it manifest… Is this a viable option for all of us? More below.

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” Jim Rohn

Another conversation that has evolved from this notion of achieving our goals and self discovery (our passion) is that when people are struggling to survive, to find food and shelter, any thought of pursuing a passion drops by the wayside and is replaced by the spirit of practical invention; survival by all means necessary. But when we consider it further, we can say that such desperation for life and survival can lead to the development of tools and skills that become a life long passion… How would we ever know what our passion is if we don’t engage in living life and trying out things? I believe we do engage even when that life seems to be one of quiet desperation. In desperate times we discover our métier; our calling, our resilience for life. I still have questions and new discoveries to make on this subject but for now, I’d like to end on an encouraging note. Whether you’ve discovered your passion or not, don’t stop believing!

What about you? What are your thoughts? What have you discovered about goals and passion? Do you find yourself eager to start a project? What helps you achieve your goals? What impact has a passion for life/success/accolade had on you? Do share! Thank you.

*Please bear with me as I continue to catch up on your blogs and commenting… Thank you all for your patience! :-)

Positive Motivation Tip: Our passion for life could be quiet or effervescent. Our goals could be same… choose and make peace with it.

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You know, I struggle with this.
I’m very passionate so when I have a goal, it kills me to keep it to myself – I burn to share it, as it lights me up (some claim to see “fire” in my eyes as I illustrate a plan).

However, I find myself not wanting to do this in recent years as “spilling the beans” does seem to have an effect on the actuality of my goal. I’m not sure yet whether it’s the sometimes negative energy or criticism from others that causes my passion to tapper off. In summary, it kills me not to see the same passion in others. But are they being realistic perhaps? And am I just dreaming?

I hear you… I feel the same way about this matter and, like you, have learned to stop over-sharing… However, I do believe that even with our goals and plans, there is always one that (beyond our control) unfolds in tandem with ours… I don’t think you are dreaming about the lack of passion in some… There is pressure in society to have big plans/goals and frankly, there are people who prefer to live in the present tackling one goal at a time.

Interesting debate about goals being shared or not. To some degree not sharing can be beneficial because you don’t attract negativity, but, by not sharing you keep the goal as a dream because nobody else knows about it. Dreams often seem unattainable – just a dream, whereas making them a goal means they are achievable. Also, telling others can garner encouragement, even obligation. If you say ‘Hey, I’m going to run the London marathon’ you obligate yourself to start training. I think the jury is still out on the psychological basis, we’ll keep our eyes and ears open. :)

The distinction the speaker was making is that our accomplishments depend on our actions and that we can act without broadcasting it. Not sharing our goals doesn’t mean we sit on them, we just choose not to discuss them with everyone…. and these are our most cherished goals not every day goals. I have daily goals and cherished goals. I might share a daily goal but not a cherished one… and still do the necessary work for both. It really is a matter of personal preference… TY for your feedback Stuart! :-)

Interesting topic, I’ll have to think about it more. My first two thoughts are:
a) Yes, I have found my passion, but ever since I turned it to my everyday job I constantly have to fight my inner critic who says I have to get real and get a ‘normal’ job.
b) I’m quite cautious about sharing my goals and who I’m sharing them with, especially when it is an idea for a new project. Sometimes it’s nice to brainstorm about it with others, such a talk can give you giant leaps in the right direction. But… (there’s always a ‘but’!) there is always the chance of having to deal with negativity which is quite demotivating, especially at an early stage of the process. However, what I find the worst is when people hear only small part of what you say and then dictate their own idea based on a faulty interpretation of your goal – and then they expect you to realize their idea! … might come back with more thoughts…

Robin, you are not alone in this struggle… I am trying to understand the lesson of it too.. I remain behind in catching up even with extra effort. Anyway, TY for your feedback and you have done a lot with the family challenges so I know the passion there. ;-)

Love it to the last inspiring word. Beautiful as always. My goal? A life that is less stressful, more happy, simple, secure, a better future for my family, more love, less hate, more patience, give more, ask less. Whew! That sounds a lot…

Terrific post! Thoughtful, introspective and I agree with your comment about when you over share the plan doesnt happen – has happened a million times to me as well. I am going to read it again tomorrow and think about the purpose/passion parts you wrote, very interesting! Thank you for sharing! ;)

TY for your feedback… I have seen same in my life and learned the lesson too. Of course, there are other factors at play and I continue to explore them as they have had an impact on my life… I appreciate your comment. :-)

Interesting thoughts. I have had both happen. Oversharing and not making something happen and sharing a lot about a goal and having that help immensely. For instance, when I created a green business program for the City of Chicago, I shared a lot about what the non-profit that I was working for wanted to accomplish before we ever started anything, and that attracted funding. In other cases, on more personal goals, sharing a goal when you’re not truly committed to it, can be more problematic than helpful. So, my thought is that it depends on the person and the project, and what helps you to take action. A bit tricky to know when to broadcast a goal and when not to. Have to trust your intuition. :)

Intuition is a great factor in it too… I find that often over-sharing tends to have an impact more on personal goals than on public projects we do for others or for work… I have seen a subtle difference there too… TY for your feedback Karen! :-)

“I believe we do engage even when that life seems to be one of quiet desperation. In desperate times we discover our métier; our calling, our resilience for life.” I absolutely agree with this, Elizabeth – it depends on the passion and the person, but I find these to be the most creative times.

My discoveries are similar to your discoveries. I’ve found that sometimes you have to shout your goal from the rooftops because it keeps you accountable (losing weight, quitting smoking, exercising). But I’ve also discovered that sometimes the things we are most passionate about require us to nurture them along before exposing them to the world.

I totally agree with that proposition that we often find our true skills and passions in surviving great difficulties in life. The strength of the steel being tested in the fire, so to speak. It is through these tests in life that we get “tempered”, I have found.

I have discovered that one should always have at least one goal in progress and definitely have a passion for something that is good and helps us be a better person. Having a passion for robbing banks, for example, would be, ah, not good. hehe.
Thanks!